Heel and method of making the same



March 10,1925.

E. E. WINKLEY HEEL AND mmwn 0F umne was sum bri'ginai P11ed'Jan. "2s,191s Patented Mar. 10, 1925.

V UNITED sures Parana,optics.

nrms'rus WINKL'E or Lynn, iunssncrrusnrirs, .assicinon '10 ,UNITED 'SHOEM'A "CHINERY CORPORATION, or ra rnnson, new .rnnsny, A oonr'onnrion onNEW JERSEY.

HEEL AND METHOD OF THE-SHEER.

Application filed January'25, 1918, Serial No. 213,68-1. Renewed June20, H923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERA'sTUs E. -WINK- may, a citizen of theUni-ted'Sta-tes, residing at Lynn, in thecounty of ESSGLL and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Heelsand lifot hodsof Milking the Same; and I do hereby declare thefollowing. to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same. a

This invention relates to the preparation of heels or parts thereof andincludes the method of making, off the shoe, compressed and definitelyshaped heels, or lifts, and

the novel heel, or part thereof, produced by practising the method.

In the prior art, it hasbeen common practice tomake heels of superposedlifts of leather, leatherboard or the like, which are compressed intothe general configuration of finished heels, but which, after beingattached to the shoe, are subsequently trimmed or cut to final formandthen sub- One of the objects of this invention, therefore, is to providea' methodof making compressed heels whereby theheels' are, aftercompression, of final size and form and are provided with lateralsurfaces of such modified and improved character as to beparticularlyadapted for subsequentfinishing operations, either beforeorafter attachinent to the shoe, and without the necessity of furthertrimming or otherwise removing or altering the. character of thecompressed lateral surfaces. A heel surface having the beneficialcharacteristics named may be described as having been evenly condensedby the compression there- I operations.

of, to-di'stinguish it from the tougher surface which the presentcommercial heel blank has after compression.

. imotherobject'o'fthe present invention is to provide an improvedmethod of making heels, or parts thereof, of leatherboard, or other ofthe cheaper grades of heel-stock, which causes the lateral surface'ofthe heel or part tl'iereof, to undergo a change and to be so modifiedthat it acquires, to an appreciable depth, new and desirablecharactcristies and qualities that facilitate the subsequent finishingoperations and eontribute to a durable andsuperior finish.

l-n "practising the method forming a feature of the present invention, arough heel.

is firstsharved, trimmed or otherwise formed into definite shape. Thisshaped heel, which is 'sliglitly larger than thefinished'ar-ticle, n'iaythen be moulded or compressed to the final-size and -'fOI'111-lt'*lS tohave, when incorporatediin the shoe. Heels thus made are adapted to befinished without altering their size or form and are provided with ahard and smooth lateral surface particularly adapted for subsequentfinishing hen using the cheaper heelstoclrmaterials, especiallyleatheiboard, the initial t'rimming step, opens the pores of the lateralsurface and it has been discov" ered that the character 'of this surfaceis modified and improved :by filling it 'withh sizing material,preferably deferring the application of the heavy pressure until theportant in making complete unitary heels that are 'to "be finallyfinished before attachment to the shoe and which 'iare employediii-connection with short soles, for

the reason that the resulting ilater-al surface is such-that' itinaybereadily worked upon with tools such asare 'used *to out the usual1randing and to ;produce the beading or key-wheel marking. Without thistreatment, the use of leatherboard for baselifts of heels isimpractical, since the composition is such that in cutting the randing,the surface is liable to flake off or tear out, thus impairing thesmoothness of the subsequent finish and spoiling the heels. The sizing,however, pentrates into the pores that are opened up by the previoustrimming operation and after compression, a firm, hard and smooth outerlateral surface of appreciable depth is formed, in which a clean-cut,durable randing, and sharp and permanent key-wheel marking or beadingmay be produced.

The claims of the present application are directed broadly to the methodjust described, which produces a heel of final size and form that maylater be finished without altering its size and form. Claims definingand protecting a heel finally finished off the shoe and the method ofmaking the same, will be found in a companion application Ser. No.213,682, filed of even date herewith, which illustrates and describessuch a heel and method.

The present method may be practised in connection with heel-stockmaterial of any character, but is particularly adapted to be employed inthe manufacture of heels composed of leatherboard or other of thecheaper and analogous compositions of leather or paper. The termleatherboard, therefore, is used in a generic sense to include anysuitable heel-stock material.

The term lift is also used in inclusive sense to define any blank orlayer of material that is adapted for use in the formation of heel-pilesfrom which heels are ultimately produced, irrespective of the particularshape of the blanks or the nature of the material of which they arecomposed.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the invention comprisesboth the novel method hereinafter described in detail, and the novelarticle which results from practising the method, as defined by theappended claims.

The particular steps employed in preparing the novel article ofmanufacture and their preferred sequence, as well as the preferred formof the article, will now be explained in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of arough heelpile built up of superposed lifts off polygonal form: Fig. 2is a perspective view of a preliminarily shaped or trimmed heel ofdefinite form; and Fig. 3 is a similar view of a shaped heel in positionin a mould and about to be compressed to final size and form. thelateral surface of which may have been previously filled or sized,although not necessarily so.

In accordance with the preferred method of practising the invention,rough heel piles of superposed lifts of leatherboard are built up andtemporarily secured together in any well-known manner. Figure 1represents a rough heel-pile thus formed of polygonal lifts, althoughlifts of any shape may, of course, be employed.

This preliminarily formed rough heel pile is then trimmed or formed inany suitable manner to a definite and regular shape that corresponds tothe shape of the heel when finished but which is slightly larger indimensions in order that it may be subsequently consolidated andcompressed in a suitable mould. The trimming operation is preferablyperformed in a machine similar to that set forth in Letters Patent No.1,102,310 granted July 7, 1914, to the present applicant, by means ofwhich the heel-pile is shaved or cut off to a definite shape by a seriesof rapidly rotating knives. Any suitable mode of definitely shaping therough heel-pile, however, may be employed. Fig. Qrepresentsashaped heelthat has been cut from the rough heel-pile illustrated in Fig. 1.

If deemed desirable, the lateral surface of the shaped heel is thenfilled with a suitable sizing material, andv at this stage of theprocess, the shaped heel is particularly adapted to receive the sizing,since its lateral surface is somewhat roughened and the pores opened upas a result of the previous trimming or shaving operation. The sizingmaterial, therefore, penetrates the surface of the heel to anappreciable extent and also serves to raise or turn out the exposedfibers.

Assuming that the lateral surface of the shaped heel has been treated inthe general manner referred to, the sizing is preferably permitted todry, to a greater or less extent,

after which the shaped and sized heel is placed into a suitable mould orcompressor, as illustrated in Fig. 3, preferably such as set forth inLetters Patent No. 1,334,478, dated March 23, 1920, to the presentapplicant. The heel is then moulded or C(llll? pressed under heavypressure to its final size and form, during which operation the heel asa whole is condensed and consolidated, while the outer fibres that havebeen raised by the sizing material are turned in and forced into thelateral surface of the heel. which is thus compacted and renderedparticularly hard and smooth.

The sizing treatment and subsequent compression results in effecting achange in the characteristics and properties of the lateral surface ofthe heel, which render it especially adapted to take the subsequentfinishin operations, and in case of the production or complete unitaryheels that are adapted to be finished off the shoe and to besubsequently attached thereto in connection with a short sole, theproperties of the lateral surface of the heel are such as to permit ofclean-cut and smooth ra-nd-ing outs, and dis tinct and permanentkey-wheel marking or beading.

Heels that are made in accordance with the process above described areof final shape and size and require nofu-ither trimming or alterationafter being attached to the shoe, as is common practice. Thus, theimproved and beneficial qualities of the lateral surface of the heel areretained and contribute to a complete heel of superior finish anddurability. Heels manufactured in accordance with this process,obviously, require the usual subsequent finishing operations that arecommon in the art, but by reason of the fact that the heel is finallyshaped and definitely formed to final size and that the lateral surfaceis improved" and modified, only light scoi-iring operations arenecessary, which are insufficient to remove and cut beneath the modifiedlateral surface of the heel, so that the benefits of the sizing andsubsequent compression are not sacrificed by removal, as has heretoforebeen common practice.

In the above process, the step of trimming or shaping, the roughheel-pile is of special importance, for the reason that the shaped heelis adapted to closely fit within the mould of the heel compressorthroughout its entire surface, whereby the pressure to which it issubjected is uniformly distributed throughout the heel, thus re sultingin a more uniformly consolidated product. lilo-reover, the trimmingoperation, roughens the lateral surface and opens the pores of the heelso that the penetration of the sizing material, when used, isfacilitated and rendered particularly effective.

The sizing or filling step is advantageous in. that it contributes tothe improved and modified characteristics and properties 1 of thelateral heel surface, which materially aidin finishing the heels, andwhich are particularly important in unitary heels that are completelyfinished off the shoe. This step of sizing, however, may be dispensedwith in some cases without detracting from the advantages of heels thatare made to final size and form, so that no further trimming of the heelis necessary after attachment to the shoe. Moreover, heels so made,while being uniformly and densely consolidated, are also provided withlateral surfaces that are materially harder, firmer, and better adaptedto take the finishing operations than heels that are trimmed afterattachment to the shoe.

In describing the trimming of the heel to definite shape and itscompression to final size and form, the specification obviously refersto the lateral surface of the heel, inasmuch as the heel is subsequentlybreasted during the customary finishing operation.

it is, of course, apparent that the invention, broadly considered, isnot restricted to the building of completed heels, but is novel articlehas been set forth as including a predetermined sequence of steps, thoseskilled in the art will readily understand that omissions and variationsof some of the steps may be made within the spirit and scope of theinvention and, therefore, it is desired that only such limitations shallbe imposed as are indicated in the appended I claims.

Havingthus described the novel features of the heel, or part thereof, ofthe present invention and the perferred method by which it may beprepared, that which is claimed as new, is y y l. 'lllremethod of makingheels which are adapted to be subsequently finished without alteringtheir size or form, which comprises building a rough heel-pile ofsuperposed lifts, trimming the rough heel-pile to definite shape, andWhile the shaped heel is off the shoe moulding it under heavy pressureto its final size and form.

The method of making heels which comprises building a rough heel-pile ofsuperposed leather-board lifts, trimming the heel-pile to definiteshape, sizing the surface of the shaped heel and compressing the shapedand sized heel into finalform.

3. The method of producing a hard,firm and smooth surface upon a heel orheel lift of leatherboard which includes filling the pores of thesurface with sizing which penetrates therein and raises the fibres, andthen turning in the fibres and consolidating the surface by mouldingunder heavy pressure.

4:. The method of making heels which are adapted to be subsequentlyfinished without altering their size or form, which comprises building arough heel-pile of superposed leatherboard lifts, trimming the roughheel pile to definite shape, filling the surface of the shaped heel witha sizing ma terial which penetrates into the pores and raises thefibres, and subsequently compacting the shaped heel to its final formand size and at the same time turning in the fibres and hardening thesurfaces of the heel by moulding it under heavy pressure.

5. The method of operating upon one or more heel lifts of leatherboardto produce a lift or heel of final size and form, which includestrimming the heel lift or lifts to definite shape, filling the surfaceof the shaped heel lift or lifts with sizing and then moulding orcompressing the heel lift or lifts into final size and for1n,whereby thecharacteristics and qualities of the surface thereof are materiallymodified and particularly adapted to take subsequent finishingoperations.

6. The steps in themethod of making compressed heels of superposedleatherboard lifts which include sizing or filling the lateral surfaceof the heel and then compressing or moulding the heel to final size andform.

7. The steps in the method of making compressed heels from roughheel-piles of superposed leatherboard lifts which include trimming theheel-pile to definite shape, filling the surface of the shaped heel withsizing, and compressing or moulding it into final form.

8. The method of making heels which includes the following steps:building a heel-pile of superposed lifts, trimming the heel-pile todefinite shape, filling the surface of the heel with sizing, andcompressing the heel by moulding under heavy pressure.

9 A heel of superposed lifts having its surface filled with sizingmaterial and compressed to its final size and form so that afterattachment to a shoe, it may be finished without altering its size andform.

10. A compressed heel, as an article of manufacture adapted to besubsequently attached to a shoe, comprising a pile of superposed liftseon'ipressed under heavy pressure to the final size and form which it isto have in the completed shoe and provided with an evenly condensed andsmooth lateral surface.

11. A compressed heel of the size and form which it is to have in thecompleted shoe comprising superposed leatherboard lifts and having ahard and smooth lateral surface filled with sizing material and formedby the compression of the heel to its final size and form.

12. The steps in the method of making a compressed heel of superposedlifts, the base lift of which is composed of leatherboard, whichcomprises filling the lateral surface of the leatherboard base lift withsizing material and then compressing the heel to its final form andsize.

13. An article of manufacture comprising a heel lift of leatherboardhaving a hard and smooth lateral surface filled with sizing material andformed by the compression of the lift to its final size and form.

14. The method of making compressed heels which comprises building aheel of super iosed lifts, sizing or filling the lateral surface of theheel, and subsequently compressing the heel under heavy pressure appliedupon all of its exterior surfaces.

15. The method of making compressed heels which are adapted to besubsequently finished without altering their size and form, whichcomprises trimming the lateral surface of a rough heel to definiteshape, and while the shaped heel is off the shoe compressing it to finalsize and form in a. mould by pressure applied directly upon all of itsexterior surfaces.

16. A heel of superposed lifts and of final form ready to be attached toa shoe, the lateral surface of which is smoothed and evenly condensed bycompression thereof.

17. A compressed heel of final size and form provided with a smooth andeven surface formed by an outer, integral layer of appreciable depthhaving characteristics and qualities differing from the underlying bodymaterial and enabling said surface to be finally finished Withoutaltering the size and form of the heel by trimming.

18. An article of manufacture comprising a heel lift of leatherboardhaving an evenly condensed and smooth lateral surface formed by thecompression of the lift to its final size and form.

ERASTUS E. WVINKLEY.

